The Chasm of Doom Read Online Free PDF Page B

Chart as a Backpack Item.
    Your men pitch camp beneath the marble canopy and preparations are made to get some sleep. You are hungry and must now eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
    Turn to 233 .

79
    Struggling to your feet, you stagger along the forest track as it ascends into the darkening foothills of the Maaken Range. The track comes to an abrupt end at the entrance of a mine tunnel, partially obscured by foliage. You realize this must be a disused route into the Maaken Mines, for they honeycomb the foothills and mountains of this region. You know that if you can locate one of the major shafts, you should be able to trace your way through the mines to Ruanon itself.
    Just inside the tunnel entrance, you find a broken crate containing five Torches and a Tinderbox. The tunnel is pitch black and you will need at least one torch to light your way. You may take as many additional Torches as you wish before continuing, but each Torch takes up one space in your Backpack. 4
    The tunnel is cold and forbidding. You explore for over a mile before arriving at a junction. Here, another tunnel branches off towards the south. It appears to be a recent excavation, and you follow it in the hope of finding a major shaft.
    Turn to 117 .
    [4] Unless you already possess an alternative means of relighting the torch later (e.g. another Tinderbox or a Kalte Firesphere), record this Tinderbox on your Action Chart as a Backpack Item. It is not necessary to record the one lit torch on your Action Chart .

80
    Although the fire has totally destroyed any markings there may have been, there still remains enough of the charred shell for you to recognize its military origin. It is a Sommlending cavalry wagon, one of three that accompanied Captain D'Val and his troop. It was loaded with food and equipment when it left Holmgard one month ago, but all that remains of its cargo now are heaps of ash. Once you have satisfied yourself that nothing has been overlooked that may give a clue to Captain D'Val's fate, you remount your horse and lead your men southwards along the highway.

    Turn to 175 .

83
    The stairs lead down to a lower level of the mines where a passage continues southwards. You have just entered the passage when a patrol of guards suddenly emerges from a concealed door ahead. You barge through them before they can draw their weapons, but their screams of anger echo in your ears as you sprint towards a faint light in the distance.
    Turn to 199 .

84
    In the dim light of the interior, you see an old man seated at a table. The flicker of a log fire is all that illuminates this foul-smelling hovel, yet it sheds enough light for you to see the clutter of charts and strange instruments that crowd the hut. The man slowly raises his gaze from a large crystal sphere and bids you sit opposite him.
    ‘You know my name — how?’ you ask warily.
    ‘The stars foretold our meeting long ago, Lone Wolf,’ he replies, slowly passing his withered old hands around the sphere. ‘Be not alarmed by my knowledge for I wish only to aid you.’ He produces a small scroll of parchment from within his robe, and he hands it to you. Upon the scroll is written the following verse:
When the full moon shines o'er the temple deep,
A sacrifice will stir from sleep
The legions of a long forgotten lord.
When a fair royal maid on the altar dies,
The dead of Maakengorge shall rise
To claim their long-awaited reward.
    Illustration V —‘The stars foretold our meeting long ago, Lone Wolf.’
    You ask the meaning of the strange verse, but the old man does not answer you. He seems to have fallen into a deep trance. You lean across the cluttered table to awaken him and are shocked to see your hand pass straight through his body. Gradually his image begins to fade. Within seconds he has disappeared completely.
    You place the Scroll in your pocket. (Mark this as a Special Item on your Action Chart .) You quickly leave the hut, pausing only to wipe the cold sweat from your